Homemade French fries

My kids are always begging me to make homemade French fries. Of course, the taste of homemade food far exceeds that of the prepackaged food so I can understand their desire. Making homemade French fries is quite easy once you have all the peeling and chopping finished.

First, decide how many potatoes you need. I use five Idaho or Russet potatoes for three people. I like to have a few extra French fries to heat up the next day.

Next, wash the potatoes under a faucet of running water. Then you can decide if you want to peel the potatoes. There are nutrients in the peels. I tend to peel some of the skin, but not all of it.

Cut the potatoes in the thickness that you like them. I try to make them look like skinny sticks just like they do at McDonalds, but my father prefers them more like steak fries. Continue by heating up oil in a frying pan. I use olive oil because it has more health properties than vegetable oil and in my opinion it makes the fries taste better. I know that olive oil is a bit more expensive, but I find it to be totally worth it.

Toss the potatoes in the olive oil carefully. Watch out for splashing oil. It is better if you use a pair of tongs to do this so you can stand back a bit. Cook the French fries until they are golden brown. The time depends on how thin or thick the fries are. It generally takes 15 minutes for me to cook mine.

Place the French fries on a few sheets of paper towels. The paper towels will absorb the extra oil. While the fries are on the paper towels, you can season them. I use a bit of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.

Serve with ketchup.